The film "Swiri" (1998), a spy action movie, is set in Korea, one of the world's last divided countries. Only 10 days after its release, the film attracted 1 million viewers to theaters. The film also set a box office record of a total of 5.8 million tickets sold during its theater run.

The film, directed by Kang Je-kyu, stars Han Suk-kyu, Choi Min-shik, Song Kang-ho and Kim Yun-jin, among others. A swiri is an indigenous fish that lives in fresh water, but in the film, it is a secret code word for a team of North Korean special forces that infiltrates the South.

Secret agent Yu Jong-won, played by Han Suk-kyu, and his colleague Lee Jang-gil, played Song Kang-ho, chases Lee Bang-hee, a North Korean sniper. Yu and Lee Jang-gil investigate who was behind the murder of arms dealer Yim Bong-ju, who was shot to death by Lee Bang-hee. In the meantime, Park Mu-young, another North Korean spy, succeeds in stealing a powerful liquid explosive while it is being transported.


The two agents realize that important confidential information is being leaked, as Lee Bang-hee takes action before they do at every crucial turn of the plot. Yu Jong-won and his fiancée Lee Myung-hyun, played by Kim Yun-jin, get married, an omen for another misfortune. Yu hides his true identity from his spouse. However, he comes to the painful realization that the North Korean spy Lee Bang-hee, whom he is after, turns out to be Lee Myung-hyun herself.

The movie cost KRW 2.4 billion to make, which was considered a huge amount of money at the time. The film used some 3,000 extras over a one-year period. The film's producer used advanced computer graphics and miniature buildings to create explosions, something unprecedented at the time, and rewrote Korean film making.

"Swiri" won the Special Jury Award and the Best Editing Award at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival in 1999. In the same year, it also received six other awards, including the Best Actor Award at the Daejongsang Film Awards. The film also helped Han Suk-kyu and Choi Min-shik reach stardom in the film industry.

By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
jun2@korea.kr



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